We report the promoting effect of graphitic carbon nitride in Cu-catalyzed N-arylation. The abundance of pyridinic coordination sites in this host permits the adsorption of copper iodide from the reaction medium. The key to achieving high activity is to confine active Cu species on the surface, which is accomplished by introducing atomically-dispersed metal dopants to block diffusion into the bulk. The alternative route of incorporating metal during the synthesis of graphitic carbon nitride is ineffective as Cu is thermodynamically more stable in inactive subsurface positions. A combination of X-ray absorption, X-ray photoelectron, and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, density functional theory, and Kinetic Monte Carlo simulations is employed to determine the location and associated geometry as well as the electronic structure of metal centers. N-arylation activity correlates to the surface coverage by copper, which varies during the reaction due to an interplay between site formation via adsorption from the reaction medium and deactivation by diffusion into the bulk of the material, and is highest when an Fe dopant is used that hinders movement through the lattice.

Copper catalysts are attractive candidates for Hg-free vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) production via acetylene hydrochlorination due to their non-toxic nature and high stability. However, the optimal architecture for Cu-based catalysts at the nanoscale is not yet fully understood. To address this gap, the metal precursor and the annealing temperature are modified to prepare copper nanoparticles or single atoms, either in chlorinated or ligand-free form, on an unmodified carbon support. Evaluation in the reaction reveals a remarkable convergence of the performance of all materials to the stable VCM productivity of the single-atom catalyst. In-depth characterization by advanced microscopy, quasi in situ and operando spectroscopy, and simulations uncover a reaction-induced formation of low-valent, single atom Cu(I)Cl site motif, regardless of the initial nanostructure. Various surface oxygen groups promote nanoparticle redispersion by stabilizing single-atom CuCl x species. The anchoring site structure does not strongly influence the acetylene adsorption energy or the crucial role they play in stabilizing key reaction intermediates. A life-cycle assessment demonstrates the potential environmental benefits of copper catalysts over state-of-the-art alternatives. This work contributes to a better understanding of optimal metal speciation and highlights the sustainability of Cu-based catalysts for VCM production.

The ability to tailor the properties of metal centers in single‐atom heterogeneous catalysts depends on the availability of advanced approaches for characterization of their structure. Except for specific host materials with well‐defined metal adsorption sites, determining the local atomic environment remains a crucial challenge, often relying heavily on simulations. This article reports an advanced analysis of platinum atoms stabilized on poly(triazine imide), a nanocrystalline form of carbon nitride. The approach discriminates the distribution of surface coordination sites in the host, the evolution of metal coordination at different stages during the synthesis of the material, and the potential locations of metal atoms within the lattice. Consistent with density functional theory predictions, simultaneous high‐resolution imaging in high‐angle annular dark field and bright field modes experimentally confirms the preferred localization of platinum in‐plane in the corners of the triangular cavities. X‐ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and dynamic nuclear polarization enhanced 15N nuclear magnetic resonance (DNP‐NMR) spectroscopies coupled with density functional theory (DFT) simulations reveal that the predominant metal species comprise Pt(II) bound to three nitrogen atoms and one chlorine atom inside the coordination sites. The findings, which narrow the gap between experimental and theoretical elucidation, contribute to the improved structural understanding and provide a benchmark for exploring the speciation of single‐atom catalysts based on carbon nitrides.

Bimetallic single-atom catalysts (b-SACs) have recently gained prominence by virtue of the unique catalytic cooperative interactions they can exhibit, intertwining electronic and geometric effects. To date, research efforts have exclusively focused on direct mechanisms such as electron density transfer or sequential reactivity. Herein, the first study on indirect, coordination-induced catalytic synergies in carbon-supported RuPt SACs is conducted. To this end, a holistic approach is developed, combining i) precision synthesis, ii) advanced characterization, iii) exploration of single-site adsorption properties via the hydrogen evolution reaction, and iv) modeling through density functional theory. Despite the lack of both intermetallic coordination in the first or second shell and charge redistribution effects, the RuPt SACs exhibit a H 2 formation rate enhanced up to 15-fold compared with their monometallic counterparts. To unfold the origin of the intermetallic cooperativity, modifications of the structural and catalytic properties induced by the integration of a second metal species are investigated. Thus, Pt atoms are found to selectively occupy the most energeticallyfavorable cavities in the support, prompting Ru atoms to assume a distinct, more active, configuration. This contribution unveils a novel principle of bimetallic cooperativity, demonstrating the key role of integrative experimental and computational analyses in studying b-SACs.